Swimsuit issue a touchy topic for pols

Politics and sex hardly mix well, so it will come as no surprise that Washington has had to delicately dance around the annual exercise in pushing the limits of what’s acceptable: the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

D.C. was reminded this week that this year’s cover model, Kate Upton, is the niece of Michigan Rep. Fred Upton. But don’t try to get him to talk about it; his office declined to comment on the matter.

Story Continued Below

The swimsuit issue is a subject that has gingerly come up over the years. A trip down memory lane:

Sen. Orrin Hatch, 1998: “One interesting expense is Sen. Orrin Hatch’s (R-Utah) list of subscriptions. In addition to publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and National Journal, Hatch gets Sports Illustrated. He is the only senator, as it turns out, who bills a subscription to taxpayers. Is it because he feels he will be a better senator if he keeps up with the Utah Jazz? Not exactly. Instead, said spokesman Paul Smith, the senator is simply a sports fan. ‘He’s always been a fan,’ he said. And could it be that Hatch will also enjoy the annual swimsuit issue? Well, yes, as a matter of fact. ‘He is a red-blooded American boy,’ Smith confirmed, adding that Hatch ‘has to get it away from me first.’” (Source: The Hill)

Rush Limbaugh, 2011: “The problem is — and dare I say this — it doesn’t look like Michelle Obama follows her own nutritionary, dietary advice. And then we hear that she’s out eating ribs at 1,500 calories a serving with 141 grams of fat per serving … I’m trying to say that our First Lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue …” (Source: “The Rush Limbaugh Show”)

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, 2010: “My point is, we need to raise the bar and start doing some serious work around here… I will have the political guts vote against the resolution for the South Carolina recognition of the men’s — I think it’s the Men’s College World Series. It’s ridiculous that we bring it up. I don’t care if it’s a Democrat, I don’t care if it’s a Republican. If it’s in the world of sport, they get enough recognition. And to cite this as, oh, it’s important because Sports Illustrated recognized it, well, they have a swimsuit edition.” (Source: Congressional Record)

Sen. Pat Leahy, 1998: “What about the person who goes into a magazine store to buy Time or Newsweek magazine, but they may have slowed down by the magazines that had pictures of unclothed people or certain sports magazines with their swimsuit editions?” (Source: Congressional Record)

Rep. Jack Kingston, 1996: “Mr. Speaker, last night the President’s speech was somewhat like the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated; thrilling, exciting, but full of dreams and fantasy.” (Source: Congressional Record)

Rep. Pat Schroeder, 1993: “Mr. Speaker, any person knows that Sports Illustrated has always pushed its swimsuit edition with scantily attired women all over the place, and believe me, they are not women my age or look like me or they would not sell.” (Source: Congressional Record)

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story mistakenly attributed a quote to Sen. Jeff Sessions that had been said by Sen. Pat Leahy